Guardian Angels
by flowinthestream12
Summary: One-shot of Damon being abusive to Stefan & the Winchesters defending Stefan. This is a request from Elizabeth Katherine Black.


The hour was growing late in Mystic Falls square. The purpled sky was steadily blackening, the stars were beginning to wink down on the haunted town. Most of the daily customers at the Grill had turned in for the night ... all but for four men still lounging on the couches by the gas fireplace. They were two sets of brothers. One set was notably larger than the other, which was sickly pale.

The one that towered over them all, Sam Winchester, had the smallest couch all to himself. It would've been awkward to share it with his older brother, Dean, whom was on the longest couch with just the youngest one in the group. Stefan Salvatore was sulking in his corner, avoiding eyecontact with his own older brother, Damon. Damon was an expert at making Stefan feel like a unwanted fourth wheel whenever the group got together. Stefan preferred hanging out with Sam and Dean alone.

Perhaps Stefan was just sensitive. But, Damon's codling of the 162-17 year old was starting to agitate him.

Matt Donovan reluctantly walked by the loveseat Damon was seated in to hand him another Budweiser, "Wrap it up, guys. We're closing in a couple of minutes."

Damon sneered over at Stefan, whom braced himself instinctively for the jab dancing on the edge of his big brother's lips.

Damon laughed, "That's right! It's past Steffy's bedtime. Gotta tuck him in his coffin a-sap."

"That's enough," Dean growled, laying a hand on Damon's shoulder.

The vampire was capable of dead-lifting that gorgeous black '67 Chevy Impala parked across the street from the Grill. He could easily toss this human the length of the entire restaurant. But, Damon's first instinct was to shy away from Dean's imposing stature - even if they were sitting down.

Sam groaned as he wrenched himself laboriously out of his little couch, "Yeah, man. It's no fun watching you belittle him."

If Stefan's cheeks could flush anymore, they would, "It's alright, guys."

"No, I think it's high-time we shoot down this elephant in the room," Dean shook his finger at Stefan. "What's going on with you two?" Damon raised his angled brows as Dean continued, "Last I checked, _you're _the one with Elena now. When're you gonna lay-off gloating about it?"

"I don't remember saying anything about ... _my_ girlfriend," Damon winked at Stefan before he took a swig of his beer.

Sam's feet were unsteady beneath his drunken towering height. He fell back onto his couch before he would slump to the ground.

Massaging his heart, Sam squinted between Stefan and Damon, "Dean's right. Stefan's been hanging out with us a lot more than usual. What're you doing, Damon?"

Other than sober Stefan, Dean seemed to be the only one who could handle his liquor. He glared at Damon, "What's your problem, man? This asshole-persona isn't you. I know you."

Damon shrugged, "It's family business, Dean. Let's leave it at that."

Sam tried to get up again and chuckled when he failed, "Sounds like something my brother and I are familiar with."

"You two never competed for a girl," Damon explained with a roll of his turquoise eyes. "You wouldn't understand. Just let me gloat for a little while longer -"

Stefan looked helplessly between Sam and Dean. He couldn't believe that the Winchesters were finally defending him against Damon's taunting. But, now that they were, he wished they would stop. _This could just make things worse_, he thought to himself.

"That's because we're older, more mature." Dean grumbled. "Sure, Sam and I had eyes on the same chick once or twice. But, we never let it split us apart, let alone for over a century. Never even occurred to us that could happen. Not capable of it, dude. Not in our D.N.A.. It's stupid, man."

Stefan shrugged, "Those girls weren't like Elena, Dean. It's alright. I'm over it."

"Your face tells us otherwise," Dean gritted his teeth and rounded on Damon, "If I hear you pick on Stefan again ... you'll be drinking alone next Friday."

Damon scoffed, "Alright, alright. Jeez, I guess Stefan has a pair of guardian angels."

* * *

On the following Monday, Stefan found himself running to the nearby motel where the Winchesters were staying. While packing the Impala, Dean heard Stefan skid to a halt before he saw him.

Dean frowned down at Stefan, "Hey, you nearly missed us. We need to go to southern Virginia for a poltergeist. We'll be back in a couple of days -"

"Take me with you," Stefan demanded, Compelling Dean.

Dean smirked, "Sammy and I are on Vervain, Stefan. As the supplier, you know that. What's got you so worked-up to try anyway?"

"Hey, Stefan!" Sam called over his shoulder as he shut the motel room door. "Why aren't you in school?"

Stefan was bouncing agitatedly on his heels, "I can't take it anymore. I know you two were trying to help. But, it just made it worse."

Dean tilted his head, "Come on, Stefan. How could Damon get any worse -?"

Stefan yanked the zipper of his hoodie down and pulled at the neckline of his v-neck shirt. Dean hissed empathetically. There was a dark bruise congealing around a set of puncture wounds on Stefan's chest. Sam reached them at that moment and reached out to touch it gently.

Stefan's lip was trembling, "He said next time I talked about Elena, he's going to chain me up out in the woods during a full moon."

Dean nodded and stepped a little ways away from Stefan to talk privately with Sam, "This is getting out of hand."

"We can't take him with us, Dean. The family with the poltergeist is not expecting a _third_ guest. Plus, they'd have to invite him in, which would be awkward." Sam sighed sadly.

Dean countered, "Can't leave him like this. There's a full moon on Wednesday. Can't believe Damon would actually do it. But, I'm not taking any chances with the little guy. Let's go beat some sense into Damon before we take care of that poltergeist."

* * *

Stefan was fidgeting anxiously in the back bench of the Impala as Sam drove him back to the mansion. Dean normally never wavered on his role as the driver. So, Stefan knew his friend was really concerned when he chose to sit in the back with him. Sam kept glancing in the review mirror at the pair of them.

"It's gonna be alright, Stefan." Sam reassured him for the umpteenth time.

Dean tucked Stefan beneath his heavy arm, "If anyone's gonna be werewolf how, it's your big bro."

Stefan chuckled humorlessly, "Thanks, Dean. But, I just want the fighting to stop."

* * *

The Salvatore mansion had long since felt like a home to Stefan. Since Damon and Elena became a couple, he felt nothing better than expelled from the residence. Listening to the gravel crunch beneath the tires as they pulled to a stop on his driveway, Stefan hoped with all his might that this was not a mistake. Elena was at school. Therefore, Damon was home alone.

The circumstances were aligning with the possibility of a good result. But, Stefan couldn't quell the nausea bumbling in his throat. When they entered the mansion, it appeared to be completely deserted.

Dean pulled a stake out from the inside of his coat, "Stay with him, Sammy. I'll check the upstairs."

Sam and Stefan listened to Dean's heavy footfalls echo around the top floor for a couple of minutes before Sam sighed, "We'll find him faster if we split up."

Stefan nodded in reluctant agreement, "Yeah."

"You had a bloodbag for breakfast, right?" Sam asked, crouching down a little to talk to Stefan.

Stefan nodded, "Yeah."

"You'll be fine," Sam clapped Stefan on his boney back. "Let's meet back here in ten if we don't find him."

Stefan watched Sam take off down to the cellar. He didn't want to be alone and didn't want to look like a wimp in front of Sam. So, he sped off to find Dean. On the second floor, Stefan heard something fall and raced towards the sound.

"What are you doing back?" Damon growled when Stefan entered his own bedroom. "Thought Sam and Dean wouldn't think to look for me in _here_."

Stefan braced to fight.

Damon started to close the distance between him and Stefan aggressively, "Hey! I said stay away from here!"

Just as Damon passed the bathroom, Dean's fist appeared cracking across Damon's mouth. Stunned by the blow, Dean took advantage of Damon's shock and slammed him up against the wall.

"It's all fun and games picking on your brother, isn't it?" Dean snarled, his nose brushing Damon's from being so close. "Why don't you try picking on ME?" Dean rammed his knee into Damon's stomach, "If we come back and I see one mark on Stefan, I will drive a stake right through your heart! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"

Stefan was rooted where he stood, completely frozen in shock. Sam finally arrived in Stefan's bedroom and laid a hand on Stefan's shoulder. The three of them watched Damon recover on the floor.

"Leave me alone," Damon growled as he walked off to his bedroom to change his bloody t-shirt.

Dean turned to Stefan, "He gives you anymore trouble, you call me or Sammy. Alright, kiddo?"

Stefan hugged Dean, "Thank you, Dean. That was great."

"I thought you turned into a statue," Sam chuckled humorlessly as Dean and Stefan broke apart.

Stefan never thought he'd feel this good watching the Impala take off away from him. He hoped he never again will need Dean to fight his battles for him.


End file.
